Discussion

What's Good in Leavenworth, WA

My wife and I are visiting Leavenworth, WA for the first time next week. We are staying for 3 nights, including our 12th anniversary, which of course requires a special dinner. Please make suggestions for lunch and dinner in Leavenworth and area, especially for our anniversary dinner. If there are any wineries in the area with good restaurants, or which are especially worth visiting regardless of food served, I would greatly appreciate knowing about them. Thanks.

The Icicle Ridge Winery in Pesashtin is serving dinner every TH night this summer. I have not been, but the caterers have a great reputation, and the location is beautiful. The winery owners, Louis and Judy, are very special people. Most of the Leavenworth restaurants are a bit noisy. Visconti's serves Italian food, but I was just there for lunch and the service (and the food) was less than spectacular. We have enjoyed many dinners at a reasonable price at The Alley Cafe. It is also a quiet place. Katzenjammer's serves good food (steak, seafood, etc), and Mozart's Bistro is also good for German fare. The Mountain Home Lodge, way up in the hills, serves a very nice dinner and sometimes takes reservations for those not staying at the Lodge. With a 48 hour ahead reservation you can eat at Sleeping Lady. Gustav's is good for lunch. Be sure to stop by Homefires Bakery for coffee and breakfast pastries. Sandy's Waffle House is good for breakfast. Mountain Springs Lodge, on the Chiwawa Loop, might be taking reservations from people who are not staying at the Lodge. Happy anniversary!

Have a couple of dear friends heading that way on Thursday. They've heard there's a large German population in the area, any other good German restaurants or will Mozart's Bistro be their best bet for a little taste of Deutschland?

This is a Bavarian themed town. That doesn't necessarily mean there is a significant German population. Still, there are some German restaurants, along with all the stuff you expect to find in a tourist town.paulj

We are heading to Leavenworth tomorrow with a group of 10 including 4 younger kids. Some of these dinner suggestions look like they may be too fancy for the kids. So far I have looked into King Ludwigs, Visconti's and JJ Hills. Any comments on these or other recommendations for families? Thanks.

I would not recommend Visconti's for kids, but I can't think of anywhere else I would not take young or teenaged kids. All the German restaurants are family places. Leavenworth is geared for families (and dogs). You can't go wrong anywhere.

If this is why your friends are going you may want to warn them that Leavenworth is not Bavarian-themed due to any German community, but because the town thought that would attract tourists when the logging industry went bust in the 1960s.

I'm leaving tomorrow with my bf and friend for just a day trip from Seattle. If you could only go to one place for a meal... what would it be? We're particular to sausages. Last time I was there I was a wee bit overwhelmed by all the sausage places (gee, a Bavarian-themed town would do that??) What place is most, most recommended? Gustav's? Katzenjammer's??

Any thoughts on how Cafe Christa compares with the other German places?

I've eaten lunch there several times in the past, though nothing recent. By now my memory is more of the upstairs setting. I tend to judge a German restaurant more by the sides than the meat, things like the spatzle and red cabbage. While I enjoy a nice hot schnitzel, I prefer a slow roasted meat like a pork shank (though that is unlikely to be on a lunch menu).

While browsing a Leavenworth restaurant listing (on the Icicle Inn site) I found a Munchen Haus Bavarian Grill and Beer Garden. Since it has a pet friendly outdoor courtyard, it might be worth a stop the next time I'm passing through (usually on a camping trip).